Kudos and congratulations to Mount Madonna School 10th grader Preethi Balagani, who along with other dancers from the Shri Krupa Dance Company won three awards at the prestigious 26th annual international Barcelona Dance Grand Prix held earlier this month.
Founded and guided by choreographer and artistic director, Guru Vishal Ramani, students at Shri Krupa learn and perform in the Bhartanatyam tradition, south India’s classical dance form.
In Barcelona, Preethi and the Shri Krupa dancers received: 1st Place, Best Classical Fusion; Best Folk Customs; and the Grand Catalonia Province Award for Best Dance. The competition was held at the Teatre de Lloret in the city of Lloret De Mar in Spain’s Catalonia Province.
Preethi began studying Bharatanatyam at age six with Shri Krupa, and continues to take weekly graduate classes and participate in performances.
The Barcelona Dance Award competition is one of the largest amateur dancing events in Europe. It includes choreography in: Classical, Modern, Contemporary, Jazz, Hip Hop, Funk, Folk, Musical Theatre, Dance Theatre, Fusion and other interpretations of theatre dance laboratories, with awards for the best groups, talents, choreography and choreographers.
More than 700 dancers, ages 5 to 25, travelled from 21 countries and four continents to participate in the competition held April 4-8.
“The performances were full of energy and enthusiasm, and displayed an undaunted precision and amazing synchronization, unique footwork and movements, comments Ramani.
